Sunday, September 24, 2006

EFL Post Game Press Coverage September 24th

Lake City Stars hold on to win season finale

September 24, 2006

MONTREAL, Que. — After a difficult loss to the Vermont Ice Storm a week ago, the Lake City Stars found themselves in the middle of a battle with the Chateauguay Titans on Saturday in Empire Football League Football.

The Stars held a slim 27-22 lead with the Titans driving inside LakeCity's 35-yard line.

But Earl Parks came to the rescue with a huge interception which set up the Stars at their own 5-yard line and helped preserve a 27-22 win in the regular season finale.

"That interception was huge," LakeCity head coach Ed McCallister said. "They were driving and Earl just made a great play.

"We were able to run the ball to their 45-yard line and then were able to take a knee to run the last four minutes out."

The Stars opened the game's scoring when Kyle Nolan plunged into the end-zone from a yard out. They took an 8-0 lead when Kellen Nolan hit Trevor St. Clair for the 2-point conversion.

Leading 8-6, LakeCity took a 14-6 lead when Kellen Nolan tossed a screen pass to Heath Geiser, who took it 55 yards for the touchdown. The 2-point conversion pass failed.

The Titans didn't stop there, however, as they too scored late in the first half and scored the 2-point conversion tying the score at 14 at halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Kellen Nolan again found Geiser, this time for a 28-yard touchdown pass. Gus Terry's extra-point gave the Stars a 21-14 lead.

Chateauguay took a brief 22-21 lead when they scored on their next possession and completed the 2-point conversion.

With just under five minutes remaining, Brandon Keleher gave LakeCity the lead for good as he found the end-zone from four yards out.

"I know that nobody believes me when I say (Chateauguay) is a lot better than the record indicates," McCallister said. "But they have some weapons and their quarterback is good at what he does, and they have some good receivers.

"We got tested out here and it was touch-and-go there for a bit. It was definitely a game the entire time and we ran the ball well."

Keleher finished the game with 153 yards rushing on 19 carries. Geiser added six carries for 38 yards.

Kellen Nolan was 7-of-20 passing for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Geiser caught two passes — both touchdowns — for 83 yards. James Blocker added 31 yards on a pair of catches.

"Now we play Vermont," McCallister said. "We have to have a good week of practice to give ourselves a good chance. We need to get focused and come together as one team.

"On July 5 I looked around and we had 17 guys on the roster, and we almost thought about folding the team. If you would have told me that we would be 7-3 I would have thought you were crazy. They have overcome a lot and we are probably the most inexperienced team with a lot of rookies.

"I am very proud that this team is 7-3, and the sponsors, fans and the team should be proud of what they have accomplished and hopefully we can go to Vermont and get something done — we have been in both of those games, this is obtainable."

The Scranton Eagles wanted to give George Romiti and John Kennedy a victory in the veterans’ final game with the team on Saturday night.

Even though Kennedy scored a rushing touchdown and passed for another, the Watertown Red & Black sent the quarterback and Romiti to defeat with a 21-14 decision at Scranton Memorial Stadium.

Kennedy’s No. 17 and Romiti’s 57 were retired by the team, and each had memorable moments in their final game.

Romiti, who made 22 tackles, picked up a fumble and got into the end zone, but was ruled to have been downed.

But Kennedy got the Eagles (1-8-1 in Empire Football League play) points after the turnover, hitting Andre Chollette with a 13-yard scoring pass with two minutes left in the first half, bringing Scranton within 7-6.

Watertown came right back and Ernie Miller scored from the 1 for a 14-6 halftime lead.

Noel Anthony tacked on a 3-yard run at 10:10 of the third quarter to finish the Red & Black’s scoring.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Kennedy scored from the 6, then hit Ben Worlinsky for the two-point conversion to close the scoring.

Watertown, which opened the scoring with a Cole Lester 6-yard scoring reception from Doug Black in the second quarter, drove to the Eagles 1, but the Romiti-led defense stiffened with a minute left.

Kennedy went 9-for-24 for 122 yards passing in his final game. Gary Visnofsky ran 13 times for 88 yards in a losing effort for the Eagles.Contact the writer sports@timesshamrock.com

Red and Black prevails to claim division crown

Sunday, September 24, 2006

SCRANTON, Pa. — Anthony Noel rushed for a pair of touchdowns and 103 yards Saturday as the Watertown Red and Black clinched the Empire Football League's Northern Division title with a 21-14 victory over the Scranton Eagles at Scranton Memorial Stadium.

With the win, the Red and Black also earned a bye for next week's first round of the EFL playoffs.

Doug Black completed 8-of-16 passes for 179 yards against the Eagles (1-8-1). A 54-yard connection to Lester Cole in the final minute of the second quarter set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Ernie Miller. The play helped to give Watertown an eight-point lead after Scranton quarterback John Kennedy hooked up with Andre Chollette for a 13-yard score to bring the Eagles to within 7-6

Kennedy, a 24-year veteran, played in his final game, according to a report in The Times-Tribune of Scranton, and capped a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter with a touchdown.

But Watertown's defense shut down Scranton's attack when necessary. Dylan Kirker led Watertown with 16 tackles, and Mike Dumaw finished with 15 tackles and an interception. Keith Jones deflected five passes for Watertown, while Dan Robl added 12 tackles.

Watertown will host either Vermont or LakeCity in a second-round playoff game on Oct. 7. With a victory, Watertown would host the EFL championship game Oct. 14. The Red and Black, which lost in the 2003 championship, is seeking its first league title since 1980.

St. Lawrence Valley closes out winless EFL season at Ottawa

Sunday, September 24, 2006

OTTAWA — Shawn Harkes collected two rushing touchdowns as the Ottawa Deacon Demons held off the St. Lawrence Valley Trailblazers 28-8 in each team's Empire Football League finale on Saturday.

Quarterback Chris Wakeman connected with Chad Culver on a 50-yard touchdown in the first quarter for the Deacon Demons (3-6).

Ricky Delaney recorded a team-high eight tackles, including a sack and a second-quarter safety for the Trailblazers (0-10). Trailing 14-2 at halftime, Greg Roberson broke off a 76-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the third quarter. He also added six tackles.

Jamie Pau's 28-yard scamper in the fourth quarter sealed the win for Ottawa. With St. Lawrence Valley dragging to the finish line, coach Mike Britton said the Trailblazers still have a future.

"There were only 24 guys that came over tonight," Britton said. "But the guys are determined more than ever to make sure there is a team next year."

Regular Season Finale – a Playoff Tune-up The Albany Metro-Mallers used the season finale of the Empire Football League regular season as a tune up for the upcoming post season. Taking on a depleted Amsterdam Zephyr squad, the defending champion of the EFL ran away with a 40 – 0 decision.

Sylvester Cooperwood, Culture Branch, and Maceo Clinton each scored 2 touchdowns. League Leading QB Scott Lawson in limited action, threw for two scores including a 95 yarder to Branch early in the second quarter. Ken Schaefer, in second half relief of Lawson connected for Branch’s second score from 36 yards out.

Clinton scored on Albany’s first drive of the second half on an 8 yard toss from Lawson, and then took a misplayed kick off 37 yards into the endzone with just over 2 minutes to play.

The EFL’s top running back Sylvester Cooperwood opened the scoring with a 32 yard cutback run barely 4 minutes into the game.Cooperwood would later tally his league leading 15th touchdown of the EFL season on a 2 yard dive at the end of the second quarter.Coop also kicked 2 point after touchdowns and converted a 2 pointer after an errant snap. Already well atop the league rushing statistics, his sixteen points on the evening cements his spot at the top of the leagues scoring list with 100 points on the night. Culture Branch meanwhile, broke the 1000 yard mark in receptions for the league season.

With a number of Mallers sitting out or playing only part time on the evening to get some additional healing time of nagging injuries, the defense bent but wouldn’t break. Amsterdam threatened on a long drive in the first and second quarter over a nearly 14 minute span marching downfield from their own 33 down to the Maller 1, on the legs of workhorse running back Jared Brown and the 3rd down play of QB Eric Johnson and Evan DeGregorio, but couldn’t get into the endzone, as they turned it over on downs. Their only other scoring opportunity was a 35 yard field goal attempt by Alvaro Montes which fell short of its mark. Ray Russell, Athan Schindler Anthony DeChairo and Terry Cumberbatch anchored the defense, and along with outstanding play from Brian Domingo, June Mitchell, and Sean Snoop Singleton and others resulted in the shutout.

The Zephyrs complete their season with a 3-7 record. Albany has the best record in the EFL at 9-1 and are 12-2 overall for 2006. The Mallers have earned a first round bye in the upcoming playoffs which start next weekend. Albany will host the winner of next weeks Broome County Dragon

Tri State Bulldog contest for the Southern Division Title on October 7th. An Albany win, would put the Metro Mallers in their third consecutive Empire Football League Championship game, having lost to Glens Falls in 2004, and beating The Orange County Bulldogs for the crown last year. The Metro Mallers have amassed a 39-5 record since their return to play in 2004.

With four of their players turned back at the U.S. border, the Chateauguay Titans - thus confined to only 20 players dressed - had to resort to ironman football in order to subdue the winless St. Lawrence Valley Trailblazers 21-2 in an Empire Football League contest last Saturday in Potsdam, N. Y.

The Titans, who had thrashed the Trailblazers 41-3 in an earlier meeting in Chateauguay, close out their season tonight when they entertain Plattsburgh's playoff-bound Lake City Stars at Billings at 7:30 p.m. The Titans, with their 3-6 record, were long ago eliminated from post-season action.

Andrew Blevings provided the Titans with their margin of victory in the first quarter when he rushed for an eight-yard touchdown. Quarterback Kevin Wyeth supplied some insurance when he hit Sean Kennedy with a 20-yard TD pass. Wyeth completed 21 of 32 aerials for 259 yards all told.

Michael Coles recovered a fumble in the end zone to give the Titans their final score and boost the defence. Corvell Isaacs contributed an interception and 3.5 sacks, while Jean Lerouge also had a pick. Oral Billy and Bobby Diabo of Kahnawake recorded QB sacks.

"I am really proud of the guys who played Saturday," noted Titans' offensive co-ordinator Jeff Craig. "Knowing that you are eliminated from the post-season and going on the road with 20 guys, many of whom are playing both ways, is not easy. But they sucked it up and did (what they had to do.".

"Hopefully, they can continue to play with heart and pride going into our last game of the year against Lake City Stars," he concluded.